Flutter
by Rinon Toros
Summary: Thomas/Fiona/Irvine. Rinon-chan's first attempt at a love triangle. .. Kinda scary, don't'cha think?
1. Flutter - 1

Title: Flutter.  
  
Rating: PG-13.  
  
Pairing: Uhh. X_x OH YEAH. Thomas/Fiona/Irvine! Or, at least, I'm going to try. Who Fiona ends up with in the end is totally up to my beloved readers. Lol, yes, that means she can end with Ban, or Prozen, or she can run off into the horizon all by herself.  
  
Notes: Lalalala. I wrote the majority of this while I was really out of it and dancing around to Jimmy Eat World, so general OOC-ness is bound to be there and I'm just too hyper right now to read it through and check. I'll probably rewrite it later.  
  
PROZEN IS ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVEEEEEEEEEEEEE. Harding is that creepy, purple haired chick who was always with him, too, if you didn't know.  
  
Updates on this will probably be once every weekend – probably not this one, or the next, because of mother's day and my parents thinking I need a life outside my writing and constant sleep ( .. life? *doubtful look* ). In other words, I'm finally going to archery. Whoo! XD Buuut you can expect them soon. I promise.  
  
- - - -  
  
"What do you know of her?" Lounging rather casually within the shadows had been the typical enemy, his elbows propped atop a desktop, fingers knit together with his chin resting upon the flat plane of his hands. Eyes had been cast downward, focusing upon a large pile of papers between his arms.  
  
"Reports tell of her traveling still with the group of two. She aided in the helping of bringing Rudolf back to the Empire, as well, Prozen, sir." Harding hadn't changed in the slightest. Her form remaining rigid as she saluted in the midst of speaking, falling even more so stiff as she lowered her arm to her side once more. The action was fluid, in spite of her posture, not even a single, lavender strand falling out of place as she moved.  
  
"Anything else?" He nodded against his hands and looked upward briefly in thought.  
  
She paused, lips turning downward momentarily. What else was there to say? They only knew so much about the group, in spite of the constant trouble they had previously caused within the Empire. Inwardly shaking the thought away, she continued slowly, thoughtfully, "She seems very -- attached to the Organoid that the young boy has, sir."  
  
"Hm." He nodded once again and lifted his chin. He acknowledged their limits, though this needed to be done. He waved his hands dismissively towards her and sighed quietly. "Send out a handful of unmarked Zoids. Check everywhere, though refrain from doing -- damage."  
  
"If we find her, sir?" She would have nodded in acknowledgement, if the man before her had been of any lower ranking. Instead, her eyes narrowed faintly, absorbing the commands instantly.  
  
"Separate her from the group and bring her back here. Don't let them follow you back." He dropped his hand and took up the topmost paper from the stack, looking it up and down in mock curiosity.  
  
"And the Organoid, sir?" She pressed still, brows hiking mildly.  
  
"Leave it. We have no use for it." His eyes didn't leave the paper and the tone of his voice dipped into something of utter boredom. If that wasn't the most obvious portrayal of wanting to be alone, he wasn't sure what was.  
  
"Yes, sir." Concealing her scowl only by biting her tongue, she saluted once more, pivoted on her heel and stiffly retreated from the room.  
  
He watched her leave, waiting until she had cleared the area before turning his head and staring distastefully into a random direction. He needed to know more -- not just boring, typical facts that any man, or woman, could have told him. He needed everything.  
  
Her true identity. Background information, on both her, the boy, the stupid Schwarz brother and her previous teammates. He needed information on the Organoid -- more than he already knew. He needed to know of the Guardian Force, so he could provide the ideal way to distract them.  
  
He needed someone to go inside for him. To research without having any suspicion.  
  
A little money and persuasion could aid to this. He smiled and returned his gaze down to the paper, considering the numerous ways. 


	2. Flutter - 2

Title: Flutter.  
  
Rating: PG-13.  
  
Pairing: Uhh. X_x OH YEAH. Thomas/Fiona/Irvine! Or, at least, I'm going to try. Who Fiona ends up with in the end is totally up to my beloved readers. Lol, yes, that means she can end with Ban, or Prozen, or she can run off into the horizon all by herself.  
  
Notes: Whoo-hoo, separation! *dance* Uhm. Wait. You didn't hear that. :D  
  
- - - -  
  
"Fiona?" Ban stopped suddenly and quickly moved to press his back against the stonewall. One hand swung back to press against her flat stomach, urging her towards the wall, as he reached behind himself with his free hand to curl his fingers about the hilt of his knife. Zeke canted his head, rumbling gently in curiosity.  
  
"Mm?" She remained still, glancing down at his hand for a moment. That was all she needed for a hint; she tipped her head back and rested it against the wall, silencing completely. If it weren't for the fact that she wore vivid, bright colors, she probably could have gone unnoticed.  
  
"Listen." He drew his hand back and withdrew the knife from its holster. She watched this action before devoting her attention towards what he had ordered her to do -- listening. Faint, indistinctive rumbling was coming from, possibly, behind them. Possibly to one side or the other, too. It made the walls tremble.  
  
"Ban --" She gasped, immediately acknowledging the sounds. He nodded in agreement and began tucking the knife back into its case. Immediately after, he took a hold of her hand and set off running in the direction of the nearest exit. Which was, of course, considerably hard, as Ancient Ruins were never easy to navigate within. Mazelike corridors and abrupt dead ends that deceived the eyes.  
  
As soon as they entered a new string of hallway, a barrage of ammunition flew in their direction. She screamed and began ducking, though didn't halt her frantic run; he was grumbling something to himself about the stupidity of others, as he pulled her, as he ran along. People had no sense of reason. Honestly. Using weapons and explosions within something like this? There were laws against it!  
  
The two and their organoid quickly burst through the crumbling, arching doorway and into the violently bright sunlight, taking the quickest path to the awaiting Liger. Shots and explosions followed their every step, uprooting the stiff terra firma and turning once solid walls into small piles of dust and pebbles.  
  
Ban, deciding it was best, heaved Fiona ahead of him and gave her a swift push toward the Liger. She went, stumbling and followed swiftly by Zeek, who rightened her immediately.  
  
"Keep moving! I'll be with ya' in a second!" He stopped and set off in another direction, to distract the attacking, nondescript Zoids. They were sleepers and they would go after him, not her. She rushed forward without casting even the faintest of looks back, scrambling up upon the muzzle and lowering herself into the front seat. Zeek followed after her, curling awkwardly into the confined space of the co-pilot seat.  
  
Ban ran, though didn't stray too far. He kept an eye on the movements of the Liger, the movements of the sleepers, which slowly followed after him. The Liger was to its feet and soon, Fiona was manipulating its controls, causing an array of ammunition to bombard the sleepers, bringing the Liger to dive towards the one closest to Ban.  
  
He whooped loudly as the sleeper was knocked off course and Fiona lowered the head of the Liger to the ground. The canopy opened and, immediately, Zeek leapt from the cockpit and Fiona took her seat in the back, Ban following and taking his own in front.  
  
The trio set off in the direction of the dense patch of trees, as it was the general path of escape. The sleepers weren't reluctant to follow, surprisingly kicking up the pace to hurry after the Liger, though they hardly matched the speed.  
  
"What're sleepers doin' in there?" Ban whined as they passed a number of trees, the area growing surprisingly dark with the density. Fiona was busy tapping away at the intricately labeled keys upon the computer, monitoring the movements of the sleepers and the movement of the Liger. She was smiling lightly.  
  
"Protecting something." She offered, a hint of reminiscence within her voice. She canted her head towards the canopy, her gaze falling intently upon the slowing sleeper. He was far too busy piloting to notice; seeming agitated with the number of trees, which insistently got in his way. "They're giving up."  
  
"Keep moving, Zeek." Ban kept a careful eye on the surroundings as they continued forward, their pace not losing even the slightest bit of velocity. Patches of trees were uprooted and piled in small bundles from their roots, though, other than that, the ground remained untouched. He steered clear from these disturbed areas, going to he extent of dispersing the duo of blades from the side of the Liger, clearing a number of the trees to advance further quickly.  
  
His hunch, though unvoiced, was correct. Once he had passed a handful of these bundled trees, numerous Sleepers popped to life and began attacking the trio, this time unrelentless and unwilling to give up as swiftly as those before.  
  
"There's a cliff up ahead, Ban," Fiona warned, glancing up from the keys for a moment to cautiously survey the surroundings. "Shift twenty degrees to the left; the edge stretches out father and we'll have a better chance of making it to the opposite side."  
  
"Got'cha!" Ban took the orders and shifted the Liger's direction just slightly, narrowly dodging an oncoming barrage of firepower in the process. Zeek was having problems of his own; a small pack of Heldigunners were closing in on him; he snarled and brought his tail down on a number of them, knocking them out of commission. Ban briefly looked out the canopy toward the Organoid and grinned lightly, "Zeek!"  
  
Amidst the merging of both Zoid and Organoid, the Sleepers began to quicken and they nearly sat upon the tail of the Liger. The cliff's edge was drawing near; Zeek was within the Liger just in time for Ban to whoop triumphantly and jam upon the controls. The Liger arced gracefully within the air and a number of the Sleepers tumbled off the narrow incline of the cliff, falling to an untimely demise, as the Liger landed, eliciting an almost vindictive roar.  
  
Their problems were yet to end, nonetheless. Abruptly, a Stinger rose from the ground ahead of them and swung a claw in the direction of the Liger's legs. Without realizing they were even being attacked, the Liger jolted forward and took a sudden spill down the cliffside. Ban gave an irritated, though panicked moan as he tried to straighten the controls, to flatten out the Liger so their impact wouldn't be so violent.  
  
Ending wasn't even the proper word to describe it. The muzzle collided with the ground and the deafening creak of metal twisting sounded, a small, struggled roar following after it. The canopy opened, ejecting the duo.  
  
While Ban's direction was straight outward, Fiona's took an awkward twist, sending her colliding in the direction of a thick bundle of foliage, which extended into a patch of trees which resembled that of the one above.  
  
"Ban!" Would have been the first thing she found herself screaming, if it weren't for the fact that, upon impact, she found herself screaming and her world dimming. Then, she -- just, wasn't sure. 


	3. Flutter - 3

Title: Flutter.  
  
Rating: PG-13.  
  
Pairing: Uhh. X_x OH YEAH. Thomas/Fiona/Irvine! Or, at least, I'm going to try. Who Fiona ends up with in the end is totally up to my beloved readers. Lol, yes, that means she can end with Ban, or Prozen, or she can run off into the horizon all by herself.  
  
Notes: Three chapters. That's fine for now, right? I have three more to upload, but I'll do that tomorrow. .. Why I'm going to wait for tomorrow, I'll never know. oO;;  
  
- - - -  
  
"How could I loose her?" Ban was quiet, in spite of his anger and fear. He shoved at the brush, clearing an area to allow him to look through; she was nowhere to be found. He couldn't track her on the Liger; he couldn't track her through surveying the area where she fell. He couldn't find her. Period.  
  
"Fiona!" He called into his cupped hands and when a response was null, he heaved himself from the ground and into the nearest tree, with a bit of difficulty. His palms were sweaty and his fingers were stinging and bleeding, thanks to the strange greenery about the area. He paid no heed, wiping them off upon his jeans and cupping them about his mouth once more. "FIONA!"  
  
...  
  
Zeek tipped his head skyward and snarled, rhythmically opening and closing his fingers. Ban looked over at him momentarily and shifted his weight, tipping around to try see the curious blonde from above.  
  
Where was she? She couldn't have gotten far, because -- she fell. She was delicate, even if she made it seem as though she definitely weren't. She was probably hurt, though surely not dying. He couldn't risk thinking a thought as horrible as that.  
  
She was his best friend! His purpose for fighting for the peace! He couldn't say he loved her, though he could admit to liking her an awful lot. She was the little sister he yearned to protect. Maria had the Priest, she had the numerous villagers. She didn't need him and Fiona was the perfect replacement.  
  
"Fiona! C'mon!" He resumed yelling into his cupped hands, panic rising within his voice. "Please answer me!"  
  
He wouldn't give up, though he couldn't stay here. The quiet, resounding padding of metallic paws against the ground vibrated through the area. He groaned inwardly and hopped off of the branch.  
  
"C'mon, Zeek. We gotta go back to the Liger." He frowned and motioned to the Organoid. Zeek turned his head towards him, snorting and huffing in disagreement. Ban motioned once more, more demandingly, scowling now, and began moving towards it. "Thomas should be in town. We'll get him; he'll help."  
  
Zeek snarled once more and, after shooting a glance this way and that, hesitantly followed after.  
  
- - - -  
  
Ban. She thought tiredly. Her eyes weren't open and she found that she was simply -- unfunctional. She couldn't move, no matter how hard she tried. Gentle bouncing was everywhere around her, an equally gentle envelopment about her sides, crossing around her back.  
  
She was curled against something and that something was carrying her.  
  
"Miss Fiona?" The 'something,' the only person who had ever put an honorary upon her name, the one who held an infatuation so deep it nearly rivaled the feelings once harbored between both herself and Ban, inquired tenderly as he, Thomas, continued walking. He shifted her lightly, adjusting and balancing her weight between both arms. "Are you awake?"  
  
"Mmm." She responded, the noise pained and shaky. Her arm hurt. Stung and burned, even and she felt that it was close to impossible to move it, without increasing that pain. She frowned and maneuvered her one arm out from between the both of them, using it to rub tentatively at her right shoulder. It was damp and, lacking much of another word, dirty.  
  
"You -- noo," He yelped and immediately moved, somehow managing to take that free hand and hold it restrained. She cracked open an eye to peer up at him in confusion, a heavy haze hanging about everything. His hair just about glowed, giving him a mild halo of sorts. "You're bleeding! You shouldn't touch it!"  
  
"It hurts." She croaked and winced; never before had she experienced physical pain like this. She shifted against him and made a feeble attempt to push off, push away. It wasn't as though she didn't particularly enjoy being carried, or his help -- something compelled her and forced this action. He shook his head and, rather grudgingly, placed her down upon the ground, keeping his hands hovering to either side of her, in case if she were to collapse. She wobbled, blinking repetitively to adjust to the brilliant light, which broke through, she guessed, the parting branches and leaves above.  
  
And then, she crumpled to a pile upon her knees, frowning and caressing lightly at the front of her shoulder, where the fabric of her top still remain intact, where the pain was less and blood was lacking.  
  
"M-Miss Fiona..?" He crouched behind her and propped one of his arms up upon his knee, fingering at the earpiece idly. Ban should have contacted him. What was going on? The situation was far too weird; one moment he found himself navigating around a ruin to contact his teammates about a recent problem occurring and the next, he found himself buried neck-high in mud with his Dibison, Fiona not too far off, unconscious. "We should get moving. There's -- people.."  
  
She had already put one of her friends in danger, why risk putting another into it even further? She shifted and used her one arm to push herself upright. Instead of accomplishing much, she lacked much anything, pushing herself maybe a few inches off the ground before collapsing once more. She concealed a blush of embarrassment and looked to him for help.  
  
"Here." He beamed at her and, hiding his own furious, reverent blush, slid his arms about her waist, gently pulling her back up. She felt like crying, suddenly. What injuries had she sustained during her fall? It couldn't have been much -- she knew her arm was bleeding. Her vision was blurry and her head ached beyond all control. Her legs didn't hurt that much, but it did hurt to remain on them.  
  
He drew his arms back just enough to keep both hands upon her, keeping her upright, refusing the right to fall over. She seemed caught up with flexing the fingers upon her injured arm, a look of distaste etched upon her face because of the pain. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Yes." She lied and dropped her hand to her side, sparing a bright, typical smile in his direction. Why worry him? He probably had enough on his plate as it was. He hesitantly drew his hands back completely and lacked the smile to return. She was bad at lying. He briefly wrung his hands, before motioning ahead.  
  
"T-The Dibison is just over there." He brought his hands back toward the back of her hips once she turned to look in the direction, making sure she wouldn't collapse again. "It's out of commission, but I'm working on getting it back up!"  
  
"'Out of commission'?" She repeated, confusion laced so heavily upon her words that it seemed as though she were lost in thought, trapped inside some distant world. She looked over her shoulder at him, looking rather displeased and even worried. "What happened?"  
  
He inwardly melted. Though, personal feelings couldn't get in the way with acting valiantly -- but! Her injuries, her actions, her absolute confusion made him want to gather her into a hug and refuse to let go until she was fine again.  
  
Snap out of it, Thomas.  
  
"I was called to the ruins up ahead and, on my way there, I was attacked." He smiled reassuringly still, but that, obviously, didn't help much. She grew unnaturally pale -- even worse than before and sighed wearily, though she still looked alert, attentative to his story. "It's nothing bad; I could have you in town and fixed up in a few minutes!"  
  
"Are you alright?" She exhaled slowly and took notice of one of his injuries. A small cut lacing around the back of his ear, the ear opposite of his earphone, dipping down toward his jaw line. The blood, which he hadn't yet wiped away, was rather dry, though that hardly dismissed the fact that it was still an injury. She turned towards him and reached forward to cup the side of his face in one hand, using the other to gently feel around for the injury.  
  
And that was far too much.  
  
"Eeto – Ah, Fiona –" He was blushing so violently that it seemed as though his face would perpetually remain that shade of red. He swiftly drew away before he could make a mistake, at least, one larger than the previous, and rubbed at the injury himself. She looked a smidgen hurt at the action. "We should – move. We're risking a lot staying here."  
  
"Sorry." She turned back toward the area, which the Dibison was currently within and looked down at her hands. She wondered if Ban was alright. She wondered if he was alright. In the midst of wondering, she found her world falling black, her mind drawing blanks. And then, the black covered her and she found herself swimming in a vast pool of what could very well be described as bliss. 


End file.
